Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Beef, potato, carrot, onion, and a lid full of coals. One pot, two hours of daylight left.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 38
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total time
- 60 min
- water
- 120 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Beef stew cubes | 1 lb | chuck; cut at home so you are not butchering in camp |
|---|---|---|
| Potatoes | 4 medium | |
| Carrots | 4 | |
| Onion | 1 | |
| Water | 2 cups | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Build a bed of coals. You want roughly 350 degrees in a 12-inch oven, which is about 8 coals under and 17 on the lid.
- Pour half a cup of water into the oven and let it come up hot. Add the beef cubes, put the lid on, and cook 20 minutes. Stir every few minutes so nothing welds to the bottom.
- Cube the potatoes, carrots, and onion while the beef browns. Keep the pieces about the same size or the carrots will still be raw when the potatoes fall apart.
- Add the rest of the water and bring it to a boil. Add the vegetables, salt, and pepper.
- Lid back on. Cook another 20 minutes, until a potato gives with no resistance. Add a splash of water if it goes dry before then.
This is the whole cooking-in-a-hole-in-the-ground argument in one pot. Beef cubes need long, wet, moderate heat to stop being chewy, and a cast iron oven under coals holds that heat steadier than any stove you can carry. The first 20 minutes with just a little water is not browning, it is a covered braise that starts breaking the meat down before the vegetables arrive.
Order matters more than seasoning here. Vegetables added at the start turn to mush over 40 minutes; added at the halfway point they finish exactly when the beef does. This is a cooler recipe, not a shelf-stable one, so it belongs to night one. Nothing about it survives a warm cooler on day three.
Packing
Beef rides in the cooler, sealed, on the bottom where it stays coldest. Potatoes, carrots, and onion go in a mesh bag; they do not need cold and they rot faster in a wet cooler. Cook this the first night out.
Variations
- A 10-inch oven takes about two thirds of everything. Same coals, same clock.
- Swap the beef for a rehydrated freeze-dried version and this works on a canister stove, though it stops being a Dutch oven recipe.
- A spoonful of tomato paste and a bay leaf in with the second water gives the broth something to hold onto.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/dutch_oven_beef_stew-579.asp